If I use water from a healthy tank will it add everything I need to complete the cycle? If so, how much water do I need? I have a 20gal, would two gallons do good or is that too much, or less?
Water from another tank: Will it help my cycle?
- Thread starter LuckyJGuy
- Start date
Moving the water won't help a new tank cycle. The best thing to do would be to either put a new filter on your established tank for a few weeks so it can get a bacterial colony started, or just use bio-spira if you're impatient like me and don't feel like waiting that long.
vaheelsfan is correct. There is very little or no nitrifying bacteria in the water column. It likes to stick to surfaces.
So if I use bio spira that will take care of all the bacteria I need, and then I can start adding fish/plants in a few days?
what about filling a stocking with some gravel from the established tank and adding it to your new filter, or just even taking the spounge out of the old filter and put it in the new one?
depends what type of filter though i suppose.
i always use a spounge and a bucket of water from my established tank to cycle a new one. i add fish food every day for a few days and then i think its ready to add fish. i've never had any problems doing it this way. adding fish food with no fish will create some ammonia for the bacteria.
depends what type of filter though i suppose.
i always use a spounge and a bucket of water from my established tank to cycle a new one. i add fish food every day for a few days and then i think its ready to add fish. i've never had any problems doing it this way. adding fish food with no fish will create some ammonia for the bacteria.
Well, I was thinking about using some water from my girlfriends dads tank, and I was also thinking about taking out one of his sponges(they are bigger sponges than what my filter can hold) and squeezing it into my current sponge. That should work right? Also, can I add food now or should I wait until I get the other water first?
Don't bother transferring water. It won't help much, if at all. On the other hand, DO get filter squeezings. I take a seasoned (read: dirty) sponge and just squeeze the dickens out of it in the new tank. The water will look like heck for a while, but all the little bacteria that get dislodged will find a home in your new tank.
Good luck,
Jim
Good luck,
Jim
Don't wait to add fish if you use Bio-Spira. Not 100% sure, but it's basically just the bacteria in a pouch that are dormant because they're refigerated. When you put them in a warm tank, they need something to eat to blossom. If you don't provide them with food (waste), then they will mostly die off and when you add fish you'll basically be doing a cycle with the fish. The best thing to do is set up your tank they way you want it with conditioned water and let it run. Decide what fish you want to stock it with and get them and the biospira and add them the same day. You don't need to work up to adding fish with biospira, you can stock everything you want at once. The biggest drawback to this is that it will cost you from 10-15 dollars for enough for a 20 gallon tank. If you don't want to spend that, I've also used the method of putting an established filter on a new tank. With this method, you should also add fish soon after putting it on because you'll lose bacteria if you don't.
If possible run your filter on another tank for a week or longer then transfer it over and add fish. That would really help if you can't get ahold of the biospira.
THanks for all the help guys, one more question:
Are bio spira and filter squeezings the same? If so could I put the fish and then add the squeezings right away(or vice versa)? Im adding plants to, if I add plants before the fish and the spira/squeezings it will help a little bit right?
Are bio spira and filter squeezings the same? If so could I put the fish and then add the squeezings right away(or vice versa)? Im adding plants to, if I add plants before the fish and the spira/squeezings it will help a little bit right?